In Between
by Hafwen
Summary: Post Bargaining 1&2 Buffy's trying to deal with coming back from the dead.


**The Dance**

_This dance of death which sounds so musically Was sure intended for the corpse de ballet.  
- Anonymous_

As he was walking through the cemetery Spike was aware of everything, the smell of the freshly cut grass, the smell of newly turned over earth, and the sound of fighting. Walking in the direction of the noise he could hear the sound of skin hitting skin. He could smell the Slayers sent but she didn't seem to be making any of her normal witty remarks.

Knowing that the Slayer hadn't been up to par lately he quickened his pace to a jog. As he continued to the spot where the fighting was he started to have a feeling of dread grow in his stomach. When he got there though every thing seemed to be fine. Just as he was thinking of helping her she staked one of the two vampires, with a smile he leaned on a tombstone back to watch the show. There had never been a slayer like her before. He'd killed two and neither one of them had even close to the passion that she did. She fought so beautifully, her name should have been Grace.

Watching Buffy fight really was a dance, the way she dogged her opponents blows and the way she returned them. It could have been rehearsed she looked so natural. No one ever danced with her as well as he did though, not even Angelus. The poof didn't understand her, never had, not even when they were dating.

Spike smiled, she still hadn't noticed that he was there yet, he would have to talk to her about that later. At the moment though he was content just to watch her back and make sure no one else could sneak up on her.

His smile soon turned into a frown; she wasn't really fighting back anymore. It was like she just stopped. Buffy was only blocking the blows of the vampire and she wasn't even doing it that well. Seeing the vampire knock her down Spike watched as Buffy didn't get back up, she just laid on the ground, waiting. As the other vampire leaned in for the kill Spike grabbed the stake in his pocket and hurried over to help his Slayer.

Spike reached out and grabbed the fledgling's arm and threw him back. The younger demon tried to punch him, but Spike easily blocked it. He hit the vampire in the face and while it was monetarily stunned, Spike staked it.

Turning around he noticed that Buffy hadn't even moved off the ground she was just staring up at the sky, "What the bloody hell do you think that you're doing?" Spike asked as he barley controlled the rage that was boiling beneath the surface.

"I'm looking at the stars." Buffy said in a voice that didn't sound fully like her own.

"Looking at the… What the hell are you doing looking at the stars in the middle of the fight?"

"Just thinking."

Sighing Spike held out his hand to her, "Come on, let's get you home." When she didn't respond Spike just sighed again and pulled her up. 

Finally snapping out of her trance Buffy said, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Taking you home."

Pulling her arm out of his grasp she said, "I don't need you to baby-sit me."

"Could have fooled me." Spike said starting to lose his temper, "You were just laying on the ground while a fledging went in for his _first _kill."

"I was luring him into a false sense of security."

"False sense of security my ass." He said with a growl, "You were lying on the ground and when _I_ asked what you were doing you told me you were looking at the fucking stars!"

"I don't know what you're talking about. You're making that up!" Buffy said as she started to storm off.

Turning her around to face him he said, "You had no idea what was going on around you. You were somewhere else."

"You're disturbed!"

"I'm disturbed you're the one who took a little break in the middle of a fight to look at the night sky. That's it you are not going on patrol alone anymore."

"Who's going to go with me, you?"

"If I'm the only one that knows you shouldn't be left alone then yes!"

Snorting Buffy said, "Oh really and what makes you think that I'm going to let you go on patrol with me?"

"Doesn't matter, I stand outside your house from sunrise to sunset."

"I highly doubt that." Buffy said breaking from his grasp and walking home.

"We'll see." Spike said as he followed her home. He walked behind her until she walked through her front door. Knowing that she would be safe for the rest of the night, he turned and walked to the Magic Box.

"Watcher!" Spike called as he walked into the shop, "We need to have a little chat about that slayer of yours."

Giles walked out from around the counter with a confused look on his face, "About what?"

"Let's see," he said pretending to think, "maybe the fact that she's off her bloody rocker. Yeah I think that would be a good topic to start with."

"Buffy is perfectly sane and if you think that I'm going to believe you than you are severally mistaken."

"I'm not lying. On patrol tonight, in the middle, the middle of a fight she just laid down to look at the stars. How is that sane?"

Taking off his glasses to polish them Giles said, "I'm sure you understand what I would do to you if you're lying."

"Yeah, you'll draw and quarter me." He said with a dismissive wave of his hand, "But I'm not lying."

"I'll ask Buffy about it tomorrow."

"Yeah because she'll definitely tell you truth about that." He snorted, "All I'm asking is that you keep an eye on her. Can you do that?"

"O-o-of course." Giles said taken back by the request.

"Thanks Watcher I owe you one." Spike sighed as he left the shop leaving a puzzled Giles behind him.


End file.
